Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(41)

“Agreed.” Hannah frowned. “What about Dad?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t remember me when I visited him,” Grant said. “I didn’t see any point in telling him about Lee and Kate.”

“How do you think he’d feel if he misses the funeral?” Hannah’s voice caught.

Was their father’s illness one of the reasons she stayed away from Scarlet Falls? She’d been chasing his attention all her life. As a teen, Hannah was the best marksman of the four of them. But the Colonel had still been focused on his boys. His slight hadn’t been intentional. He didn’t know what to do with a girl. Intentional or not, Hannah had felt his disinterest. She probably would have gone into the service after college if their father hadn’t been so outspoken in his disapproval of women in the military.

“If he doesn’t remember Grant, he won’t remember the rest of us,” Mac said.

Grant turned. “Why do you say that?”

Mac lifted a palm. “You were always his favorite. For the last few years before the dementia took over, all he ever talked about was you becoming a general. Lee was never aggressive enough for the Colonel. Hannah was, but the old man didn’t see it.” Mac rubbed his sister’s shoulder. “Sorry, Sis. He totally missed the boat on that one. You’re the toughest of all of us.”

Hannah’s lip twisted into a weak smile. Grant knew that, on the outside, Hannah was tough as nails, but inside? Not so much.

“What about you?” Grant asked. “Mr. Outdoorsman.”

“Nah.” Mac waved a hand. “By the time I was old enough for him to take any interest in me, he already had you in the military academy. I skated under the radar. Could you imagine if he knew I spent my time living in a tent, studying families of otters? At least Lee and Hannah are lawyers. I’m a biologist who can’t keep his own fish alive.”

“That is pretty sad.” Grant laughed, then sobered.

“There’s an option for Carson, though,” Mac said. “Boarding school—”

“No.” Grant interrupted him. “I hated that place.”

“Really?” Hannah lifted her head. “I was so jealous I couldn’t go.”

“Yes,” Grant admitted. “Well, maybe I didn’t hate the place as much as being away from all of you. I was only twelve. And there were no girls.”

“You never said anything.” Hannah straightened the already perfect piles of papers on the desk.

“How could I?” Grant sighed. “Dad was so proud. I would have broken his heart. But that brings me to my next item for discussion.” Grant paused and listened at the door for a second. No sounds from upstairs. He lowered his voice. “What are we going to do about the kids?”

“Is it really just the three of us?” Mac asked. “Doesn’t Kate have any family?”

“Not that I know of—”

“She does.” Hannah reached for the bottom desk drawer. “I found an old address book with Kate’s handwriting.” She lifted out a small black book and opened it. “Mom is penciled under M. There’s a phone number.”

Mac leaned forward. “That’s a Boston exchange. That book looks old.”

“Probably is.” Hannah flipped through pages. “I found it stuck behind the drawer. Shall I call the number?”

The baby’s cries echoed in the hallway.

“The master calls.” Grant stood up. “I vote yes. The number might not even work, but I think Kate’s parents have a right to know about her death.”

Faith cried louder. Grant turned and hurried to the kitchen. The TV was on in the adjoining family room. Before Hannah had summoned him to the office, he’d been watching the news. As he prepared the formula, he read the weather report scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Shaking the bottle, he turned to leave the kitchen.

“Stay tuned for the noon report as the parents of Lindsay Hamilton speak out on the murder of their attorney, Lee Barrett.”

“Oh my God.” Mac’s voice came from behind Grant.

He turned. In the doorway, Mac stared at the screen. Upstairs Faith jacked up the volume. The girl had lungs.

“Can you record that?” Grant pointed to the TV. “And then turn it off. I don’t want Carson to hear it if he comes downstairs.”

“I’m on it.” Mac moved toward the digital cable box.

Grant grabbed the bottle he’d already prepared and climbed the steps to the nursery. Could the Hamilton case file be the one Lee’s boss was seeking? He’d have to find out later. If the report made the noon news, it would be on the Internet somewhere. He’d either watch the recording when Carson was asleep or he’d web surf until he found it. The news network would probably have the clip on their website feed.

Faith was on her belly holding her head and chest off the crib mattress.

“I guess you know how to roll over.” Grant picked her up and settled in the rocking chair to feed her. He grabbed the book he’d found on Kate’s nightstand, What to Expect in the First Year, and looked for the page where he’d stopped reading earlier. “OK, Faith, where were we? By your baby’s fourth month, you both should be enjoying a full night’s sleep. Faith, have you read any of this book?”